Black Lion Research: Formeron and Prolactron

BRUNDEL was kind enough to let me try out a couple products during my Trestabol/LMG run. Both of these compounds are known for aromatization and elevated prolactin. So, these are the perfect compliments. You can find the products through Nutraplanet.com by clicking on the following links:
I started the cycle and the run last week. So, I apologize for my tardiness in getting the cycle log up. But without further adieu, here it is!

This is my first time using a topical product. Last week I shaved my armpits and used them exclusively as my application area. This week I'm going to experiment with my feet as well. One nice bonus is that the isopropyl alcohol makes for a great deodorant.

I'm dosing the Formeron at two pumps twice daily and the Prolactrone at two pills once daily. However, this may change as needed. My current cycle set-up is as follows:

Trestabol - 40/40/60/60/80/80
LMG - 00/00/125/125/125/125

This too may change as needed. Right now, I'm really liking Trest at 40mg. I'm finding it to be very mild at that dose, but I'm also noticing good gains in strength already.

Here's a starting picture taken on 5/17:

I'm weighing 218 @ 5'7" in this picture.

My current training scheme is rather unique. It is difficult for me to get in my training because my daughter was born only 3 months ago. But I am prepping for my second bodybuilding comp, which is on Nov 9. As such, I need to get it in when I can. So, I've switched to training on weekends or at 5am on weekdays when I can. I'm using a two day split.

Day 1: Legs, Shoulders, Arms
Day 2: Chest, Back, Arms, Calves

I'm rotating between one or the other. Training no more than two days in a row and lifting 3-4 days a week. That means that everything gets hit at least twice every two week with calves and arms getting hit at least 3 times.

For large muscle groups I'm doing 9-12 sets. For smaller I'm doing 4-6 sets. With this low level of volume, you can see how I can manage the workout frequency.

I've been doing this for a while now and have found it to be very effective. No bodyparts are getting overtrained and I'm recomping. At my current weight, I'm wearing my 34" waist jeans comfortably which is something I wasn't able to do in the past.

Already got in today’s workout. It was a doozy! I did chest, back, and calves. I went back to my 531 program today. I’ve decided that two times a week I’ll do that program and the other two I’ll do a standard BB style workout with different exercises. I went all out on an empty stomach and I think I’m going to keep doing that. My strength and endurance weren’t affected and my stomach was much more settled. Last few workouts I haven’t felt nauseous, but my workouts would consistently be interrupted by bathroom breaks. Today I didn’t have that problem. The last few times I’ve run this program, I’d only doubled the expected reps on the ancillary exercises and go to failure on the main exercises. Not today. I went full NOV and went to failure on all four. Now that I’m getting used to the morning training and training again in general, this will be the norm. Here’s what went down today:

I think that using my feet for a topical application area is working really well with the Formeron. Then in the afternoon I use my pits (haven’t had to use any deodorant since starting this). I’m still dosing the Prolactrone at just two pills a day. I’m taking 20mg preworkout and 20mg post workout of Trestobol (40mg in the morning on non-workout days) and 20mg of Osta in the evening. I’ll be adding in 125mg of LMG starting next week and will drop the Osta when I do that. I’ve been using two scoops of my Cellucor C4 preworkout and then 5g BCAA’s immediately post workout. Diet has been on point for the most part. Right now I’m eating the following:

My trainer is currently working on my meal plan. So, things will change soon. But for now, it’s going well. I’m gaining in strength and still leaning out. I’m really enjoying this cycle and the supports are working perfectly so far!

Well, today was a non-typical day as I was feeling particularly sadistic. I have mentioned this before, but I thought a little further explanation is in order.
My split looks like this:

D1: Chest, Back, Arms, Calves
D2: Legs, Shoulders, Arms

Chest, Back, Shoulders, Quads, Hams get about 6-9 sets per workout. Arms and Calves get around 4-6. Every other workout is a 531 hybrid, and I have two exercises per muscle group that I use 531 progression on:

With that said, today was a non-531 day for legs, shoulders, and arms. Since I have a little more freedom and Iím really trying to build some mass on the lower front and inner portions of my quads (Iíve got good width and sweep), I decided to play on the leg press for the first half of my workout. I also really like using the leg press to hit some calf presses so I superset them. I have pretty strong calves and they are almost able to go rep for rep with my quads. Basically what I did is put a plate on each side and do ten reps of each exercise, then I get up and add another plate to each side. I keep this going until Iím no longer getting ten reps. Well, I went a set past this time, but the general concept is the same. I also decided to blast my arms a little harder than usual because I didnít get a chance to hit them last workout and basically followed the same scheme with them. Hereís the complete details:

Still running Formeron at 2 pumps and Prolactrone at 2 pills a day. Bumped trest up to 60 yesterday along with 20mg Osta. Iím going to be dropping the osta and adding the LMG on Monday. Progress pics to be taken over the weekend.

Thanks bud! I forgot to mention that since I'm trying to hit my quads in a specific area I've narrowed my footing and brought it all the way o the bottoms of the foot plate. It was brutal on the quads and hits right where I want it to. But surprisingly, I felt it in my hams too. This foot placement does take the glutes out of the movement pretty effectively though.

Well, my logs are going to be getting much more educational and self revealing (no I'm not going to start posting grape fruit vids). I am however going to be doing my own contest prep. So, starting Tuesday, things are going to change. I'm going to follow my original plan and keep my carbs low from the start. My macros will be as follows:

Protein: 250
Carbs: 200
Fats: 150

That puts me at a starting calorie range of 3150. I will start reducing calories by cutting fat first. Then, when fats get down to around 120, I'll start reducing the carbs. We'll see where this takes me.

Well, day two of 125mg LMG and 60mg of Trest. I actually got my hands on some LMG powder. So, to make it easier to measure out my dosing, I took it and mixed it in with melted coconut oil then measured it out into an ice cube that has small cylindrical ice cubes. Since coconut oil is a solid at room temperature, but has a low melting point they are very easy and convenient to swallow. It comes out to about a tsp of coconut oil per cube and 125mg of LMG. Iíve changed my dosing around now. Iím taking the 125mg of LMG first thing in the morning and now Iím taking the 60mg of trest before bed with my two Prolactrone. I swear that trest has been giving me crazy dreams. This has definitely been a mild and enjoyable cycle so far. I canít wait for the LMG to kick in because the trest has been great so far!

My diet is starting today. Itís not too much of a stretch compared to what Iíve been doing so far, but Iím just paying closer attention to the exact amounts Iím taking in. A typical day will go something like this:

Workouts are going well although Iím particularly tired today, because I spent all day yesterday in the sun and on Boyd Lake in Loveland, CO learning how to wake board. But today was workout day and I had to get it done! Hereís what I did (as usual, things were done as supersets):

Jumped back on the 531 band wagon today. I really love this new hybrid program. It really hits the muscles with the right exercises and makes me chase a new personal record. With that said, today was legs, shoulders, abs. I can tell that I havent been able to get in my walking cardio the last few days, because today I was sucking major wind on squats. Not all bad though. Just need to kick it into gear again now that the weather has gotten nicer. Technically, I was supposed to do workout 3 of round one, but it has been so long since Ive done the front squat back squat combo that I decided to jump all the way to round two week one. I think it was a good decision too as my reps were where I would have expected them to be for these weights. Heres what went down:

Ive got softball tonight. Hopefully, the mrs and I will get to the gym in the morning on Saturday. Shes been itching to go. Its too bad my gym doesnt have daycare first thing in the morning, because although it wouldnt be ideal for her it would work really well with our kid (she generally likes to sleep in).

Shouldn't affect squats. But my pulling is going to be shot for a while. I'm going to focus on a lot of preexhaust with pullovers and rear laterals followed by light pulls for the next few weeks. I think my pressing kind of hosed too. So, that's going to involve more machines for a while.

Back at it again finally! It's been a long last couple of days. Monday being the main culprit. Found out my pinky was broken, hit a car with my company truck (minor damage, major pain in the ass), and then I locked my keys in said truck. When all was said and done, my 4.5 hr trip turned into almost 8. Anyways, got back yesterday safe, sound, and uneventful. Saw the ortho doc this morning and he said that I just need to "buddy tape" the fingers together for the next 4 weeks. It's a pain, but definitely nicer than having to keep a splint on.

Been following the diet sort of the last couple of days. I didn't eat all my meals, but I kept the food choices and the amounts in the proper realm. I'm not following it exactly anyways, but it's definitely nice having the guide. Today has been more on point. I'll post it up tonight.

I had to switch up my training to accommodate the injury. Thankfully it only hurts when I try to bend it too far. So, I was able to grip things with my thumb, index, and middle finger. I went with isolation exercises exclusively and kept myself to short rest periods today. I used my straps initially for the reverse flyes, but soon found out that it didn't hurt to use the horizontal handles. The only exercise I really used them on was straight arm pulldowns. Which I liked because I was able to actually move a little more weight than usual while still focusing on my lats doing the work. I may continue this practice once healed. Next time I'm going to do only one round of isolation exercises and follow it up with some compounds. Here's what I did:

For supps, I dropped the trest back down to 60mg today and reintroduced the LMG. Since I was on the road and the LMG was mixed with coconut oil, l ran the 90mg trest all the way through Monday. That's a really good dose for a solo cycle IMO. I'm still running the Formeron and Prolactrone at the same dosages. For pre-workout, I'm still working through my Cellucor C6 and Cialis (10mg).

06/10/2013 - PHAT Training Day 1 - Upper Body Power
So, I had been planning on doing the Mountain Dog Diet. Anyways, I wasnít going to be able to follow it exactly, and although there is a lot of great information on the site there was no application guide in terms of creating your own diet. So, I continued to research this over the weekend and stumbled across a couple of great articles on SimplyShredded.com written by Layne Norton regarding his PHAT training system and his guidelines for putting together a contest diet. He really spelled it out in both. So, over the weekend I planned out my diet and training. I even made new spreadsheets to help me out with both. If you want to find the articles just Google or Bing ďLayne Norton Contest Diet SimplyShredded.comĒ or ďPHAT training system SimplyShredded.com.Ē If youíd like a copy of my spread sheets, just PM me and Iíll email them to you. Once you read the articles the spread sheets should be pretty self-explanatory.

I have followed his workouts for two sessions now and one really nice thing about it is Iím still in and out of the gym in less than an hour. Itís also amazing to me how similar what heís found to be the most effective way to train is to what Iíve found. In fact, Iíve done PHAT training in the past without actually having a name for it. Basically, itís a 5 day program with a 2 day power split and a 3 day bodybuilding split. These are the basics as I have laid them out:

Youíre supposed to rest between days 2&3 and after 5, but itís easier for me to fit my training into 5 consecutive days. If my wife and I can get into a routine of training on Saturdays, Iíll add the rests back in as Layne has them. Until then, itís five days straight baby!!! One other change I made is the exercise order. He had bodyparts ordered differently from what Iíve determined to be the best for me. However, I am following his sets/rep schemes.

I didnít record Saturdayís workout (went solo), but I did record this morningís:

Upper Body Power
3x3-5
Flat Dumbbell - 100x5,5,5
2x6-10
Incline Barbell - 225x6,6
2x6-10
Upright Rows - 135x6,6
2x6-10
Barbell Curls - 90x6,6
2x6-10
Decline French Press - 105x6,6
3x3-5
Bent Over Rows - 275x5,5,5
2x6-10
Pull-ups - 221x8,8
2x6-10
Barbell Straight Arm Pullover - 65x10,10
As you can see by the weights I used, my finger is getting better. Itís still nowhere near 100%, but I was able to handle heavier weights with the straps with zero pain. I will still be using the straps until it is fully healed. After a couple of workoutsí practice, Iím more comfortable using them for pressing movements too. I donít think it will hinder my grip too much as my forearms are still feeling a bit sore after this morning. All in all, Iím very happy with how today went. I will be going up in weight on all the exercises except for pull-ups. One thing Layne isnít a proponent on is going to failure on all sets (just the last ones). This is one reason why I was able to move through the workout so quickly. It kept my rest periods shorter (still about one minute) even though my weights were heavier.

As for my diet, Layne is a big proponent of keeping carbs centered around the workout to prevent muscle wasting and then keeping the rest of the day low carb to encourage fat utilization. He also likes a little carbs first thing in the morning, but since Iím training in the morning I get the majority of my carbs then. Hereís what the day looks like:

Iím now 22-23 weeks out. I will adjust things as I go, but to give myself the needed wiggle room Iíve planned on this being a 23 week cut. If I have to cruise for a while and add in additional refeeds as I near the competition, I can definitely do so. At least, Iíve got a plan now!

As for supps, still doing 2 pumps Formeron and 2 caps Prolactrone. Iím almost out and will be switching to Exemestane when I do. Iíve bumped my Trest to 90mg daily. Iíll tell you this stuff gets better and better! Iím still taking the 125mg of LMG too. Iím getting crazy dreams and night sweats from this cycle. Pumps are great in the gym and the gym alone. Itís nice not having back pumps 24/7. Iím also still taking 10mg of Cialis preworkout.

Hereís some updated pics. I ate like crap last week and over the weekend. So, Iím pretty happy with where Iím at!

Well, my first day back at it with legs after about 2 weeks off or so went down without a problem. Heavy squats first thing in the morning is definitely a shock to the system and I had to wear my sweat shirt during warm-ups to help loosen the joints. I think that will be the biggest shock to my morning training. I know that eventually I'll get used to it, but for now I've just got to push through.

The more I do this program the more I like it. I kept worrying all morning that I wasn't going to get my full workout in as legs tend to take a little longer for me because they are so demanding from a cardiovascular stand point. However, today wasn't so bad. It's also nice having 2 set exercises. Those two things allow me to push harder while still keeping the workout under 60 minutes. Here's what went down:

LOWER BODY POWER

Squats - 315x5, 365x3,3

Hack Squats (number of plates) - 6x10,10

Glute Ham Raise (body weight only) - 6,5,3

Seated Leg Curl - 130x10,10

Standing Calf Raise (number of plates) - 8x10,10

Seated Calf Raise - 140x8,7

6/10/13 - Diet

The diet went really well for day one. I over shot my calories by 300 though, so I'm making adjustments today. My macros weren't too far off. So, I'm just going to need to adjust the amounts a little. Here were the macros:

Well, my day got a bit more exciting this afternoon, but not in a good way. My in-law's house was in the Black Forest region of Colorado just north of Colorado Springs, and it was one of the first three houses to burn down in today's forest fire.
It was also in a advantageous place for the news helicopters and so video of it burning has been airing all night. It was a happy house full of great memories. So, it's pretty sad to see it go.

I'm sorry for your family, man. I assume everyone got out of the area safely?

Yeah they did. No thanks to authorities though. They were just starting to learn about the fire by the time it reached their house. The only reason my mother-in-law and brother made it out in time is because my wife's uncle called them.

Yeah they did. No thanks to authorities though. They were just starting to learn about the fire by the time it reached their house. The only reason my mother-in-law and brother made it out in time is because my wife's uncle called them.

Todays back and shoulder workout was rugged! My wife was still pretty upset about yesterdays fire this morning when I initially said goodbye to her to head to the gym (understandably so). So, I stayed in bed and cuddled and talked with her about it for a while until she felt better. A little before 6am she said that I better get to the gym (best wife ever!!!). So, I took off and hit the weights with a vengeance so I could get back to the house in time for a shower and food before needing to leave for work. It takes me about 20 min to get to work, so Im usually out the door by 730a.

Anyways, today was my first back and shoulders hypertrophy day. I went a little heavy on some stuff as you will see from the workout reps. I will definitely be adjusting for next time. I usually train shoulders before back and Layne had them set up the other way in his template. Normally, I would switch, but I think my back could use the extra attention compared to my shoulders. I really liked the exercise layout and I had the craziest pumps in my lats. Although hitting back first did affect my pressing strength a little, thats not what this day is about. I dont think it hindered my ability to pump them up effectively. Heres how things went down:

6x3, 65-75%
Bent Over Rows - 185x6x3

3x8-12
Chin-ups - 222x3x8

3x8-12
Seated Cable Row - 60x3x12

2x12-15
Rear Smith Shrugs - 205x10,11

3x15-20
Straight Arm Pulldowns - 65x15, 50x15,14

3x8-12
Seated Military - 115x12,12,10

3x15-20
Dumbbell Upright Rows - 35x15,12, 25x13

3x15-20
Rear Machine Laterals - 100x15,15, 85x15

One thing I may change after today is the order of the shoulder exercises. I really need more rear and side delts. So, I think Ill start with them and finish with presses for a while and see how it goes. I find rears to be a good finishing movement for the upper back as well anyways.

06/11/2013 - Diet

The diet is going well. Yesterday saw a little variation because I had to run up to our corporate office in Golden and I was running short on time after my workout. So, instead of having my eggs for my mid-morning and afternoon meals, I had a protein bar and single scoop protein shake instead. I dont normally like having this much protein powder in a single day, but its better than missing meals. We also were a little naughty for supper given the craziness. My wife has been wanting to try out a mac and cheese recipe that mimics Noodles and Company for a while now. So, she bought the fixens and I whipped up a batch. Didnt taste exactly like theres, but I thought it was actually better. I didnt eat too much of it (probably like a small portion at the restaurant), but it was still more than I should have.

Had a great rest and reefed day yesterday, and Im back at it this morning. Today was Chest and Arms Hypertrophy day. It was a good way to start my morning too. I was a little tired this morning and moving a little slow so I didnt get my full morning meal regiment, but it didnt affect the workout given yesterdays calorie and carb boost. Im also considering taking one 25g dose of morning protein out and adding it in to before bed, but thats not how Layne had it. So, Im a little torn over whether or not to do that. Im definitely sore and tired from the week, but its felt so nice hitting things hard and heavy again. I will be taking week one pics on Sunday. Heres what happened in the gym:

Man am I sore today! I killed my legs on Saturday with my father-in-law. I always push myself harder with him. We feed off of each other and it has shown me how much my intensity had been lacking last week especially on the hypertrophy days. Time to get serious and really start going for it! Here is what we did:

4x10-15 (number of plates)
Calf Presses 10x13,12,12,10

3x15-20 (number on weight stack)
Machine Calf - 5x15,15;4x16

3x8-12
Romanian Deadlift - 135x12,12,12

2x12-15
Lying Leg Curl - 110x15,13

6x3, 65-75%
Squats - 235x3,3,3;245x3,3,3

3x8-12 (number of plates)
Hack Squats - 6x12,12,10

2x12-15 (number on weight stack)
Machine Leg Press - 15x15,12,12

3x15-20
Sissy Squats - BWx15,15,15

Those speed squats were pretty sweet. I was pushing that 245 so hard that it was lifting off my traps. I am definitely going to have to increase the weight on them a little next time. I had a great weekend. I kept to my diet on Saturday, and had a great refeed this Sunday. I have a nice little carb bloat going on and am looking forward to slamming some heavy weights on Monday.

Here is my progress pics. Mind you, these were taken after a large breakfast.

Well, over the weekend I figured out that I was holding back. I lifted legs with my Father-in-law on Saturday and he is very competitive. We pushed each other hard, and I am sore!!! But it inspired me to push harder today. It felt really good pushing the weights that I did today and I definitely blew some of last weeks lifts out of the water! My finger was feeling good. I would say I have got about 90% mobility back. I think that I need to add some more warm ups to the first exercises on this day. I had a little grinding in my left shoulder, but no pain. I will have to keep an eye on it. I only did two warm-up sets and I think I will throw in a third. Tomorrow is Lower Body Power. And I can tell you this, my calves will not be looking forward to it. Here is what I did today:

Even though I have been eating at a deficit the majority of the week and feel like I have lost some bf. I actually managed to gain weight. Last week on Monday I weighed in at 221 and today I weighed 224. I am going to keep things tight this week and only allow a single refeed day on the weekend.

SUPPS

I still have some time left with the Formeron and Prolactron. Both are doing exactly what I need them to do. I am taking 100mg of trest and 125 of LMG daily. I only have 6 days left on the LMG. After that, I will transition to Tvar. I will be doing a sponsored cycle of Epi-Andro RX soon though and will use it as a bridge to this cycle. It is supposed to be a good cutter. So it should serve my purposes very well. When it comes in, I will be dropping everything else and running it solo at 3 or 4 caps a day. I am leaning on 4 though since I have been going so high on everything else. I am still doing 2 scoops of Cellucor and 12.5 mg of Cialis as my preworkouts. I am really surprised at how long the Cellucor has lasted me even at two scoops.